Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. We continue our celebration of the birth of Christ during this season of Christmas, and among the feasts that we have been given to help us reflect on this mystery of the Word made flesh, is that of Mary mother of God. It is a feast that elevates not only Mother Mary but also the human race. For by assuming our human nature, Christ made human beings sharers in the divinity of God. But today’s feast celebrates Mary in a special way for it raises her to a pedestal for admiration by the rest of creation. When the angel Gabriel was sent to her from God with a unique request, she responded with a YES even if at the moment she didn’t fully understand what was being asked of her. With that YES, Mary reserved her place in the history of salvation. As such, we are given this feast as a celebration of the YES of Mother Mary, a YES that not only invites us into that very call but also demands a response from us.
In her song of praise (cf. Luke 1:46-56), Mary had pointed out that all generations will forever call her blessed because of what the Lord had done her. It was upon her that God bestowed the unrepeatable favor of bearing God’s only Son. God, the author of life, chose not only to be incarnated, but also did so through a feeble creature: a female member of the human family. The Lord had done as the Lord had wanted.
But, as Elizabeth also pointed out, all generations have called Mary blessed because of her own doing (cf. Luke 1:42ff). Mary could have said no to God, and had she said NO, God would not have forced her. She could have had excuses- and there were several. She could have said that she did not belong to the Messianic line (Joseph did). As far as we know, her father was not a high priest, and so Mary might have excused herself by saying that she did not belong to a priestly family. She would have asked the angel for some time to go and discuss the issue with her husband-to-be. But no, she didn’t. However much strange what was said to her was, Mary said YES. She trusted in the wisdom of the Lord.
Mary is blessed because she let herself be what God created her to be: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord…let it be done to me according to your will.” As young as Mary was, she knew that our first call is to do God’s will. Mary knew that doing God’s will is nothing other than TRUSTING God. She didn’t understand everything that the angel said, but she trusted in the Word of God. If God had said it, then it will sure come to pass. If God said that everything will be ok, then everything was going to be okay. Not only did Mary say YES, she also TRUSTED.
Mary is blessed because she was selfless. Mary might have said that she did have her own problems and didn’t want to add the problems of others to her own. But she didn’t. Mother Mary knew and understood that part of being blessed is blessing others. The first thing Mary did after the angel had left her was to run to her cousin in order to share the good news with her, and to be there for her in her time of need. Mary knew that the Word of God that she carried within her was not hers to keep. The Word had to be shared with others and however gut wrenching it turned out to be, she never pulled back.
Mary is blessed because she remained faithful to her call. Mary might not have known what kind of blessings or
curses Jesus would bring to her family. She might not have fully understood the message of the angel about Jesus ruling in the stead of David. Mary might not have fully understood the words of Simeon about a sword piercing her heart. Only later as the child Jesus grew did she come to understand what it all meant. But even then, she remained Jesus’ no. 1 fan. Yes, Mary might not have fully understood the call and life of Jesus. At least a couple of times in the Gospels we are told she thought he was
out of his mind. We can imagine the kind of pain Mary underwent as she followed Jesus on his way to Golgotha. But she was there- all the way to the cross. Even then, she might not have understood, but she TRUSTED. She trusted that some good would come out of it. God had said it, and God cannot lie. In all that happened, Mary was able to continue TRUSTING because she believed that God’s promises would be fulfilled.